Course Planning Guide
COURSE PLANNING GUIDE
Although Business Communication Essentials, Sixth Edition follows a traditional sequence of topics, it is
structured so that you can address them in the order that best suits your needs. For instance, if you want to
begin by reviewing grammar, you can ask students to read Chapter 5, “Completing Business Messages,”
and then the Handbook of Grammar, Mechanics, and Usage.
The following list suggests a sequence and a schedule for covering the chapters in the textbook, with
time allocations based on the total number of class hours available.
HOURS DEVOTED TO EACH CHAPTER
30-HOUR 45-HOUR 60–HOUR
CHAPTER NUMBER AND TITLE COURSE COURSE COURSE
1: Professional Communication 1 1 1
in Today’s Digital, Social, Mobile World
2: Collaboration, Interpersonal Communication, 2 2 3
and Business Etiquette
3: Planning Business Messages 2 3 4
4: Writing Business Messages 2 3 4
5: Completing Business Messages 2 3 3
C: Correction Symbols — — 1
11: Writing and Completing Reports 2 4 6
and Proposals
B: Documentation of Report Sources 1 1 2
12: Developing and Delivering Business 1 2 3
Presentations
13: Building Careers and Writing Résumés 2 3 4
14: Applying and Interviewing for Employment 2 3 4
INTRODUCING THE COURSE TO STUDENTS
Many schools now require that instructors distribute a course syllabus to students on the first day of class.
Even if one is not required, it’s a good idea to let students know at the beginning of the course what the
course’s objectives are and what students must do to reach them. In addition, you may want to provide
information about the format of the course (as suggested in the following sample outline).
Course Planning Guide
COURSE SYLLABUS
COURSE NUMBER AND TITLE
SEMESTER, YEAR
I. Instructor’s name, office number, office hours, e-mail address, voice mail
II. Course credits and prerequisites
III. Class meetings (number per week, time, and place)
IV. Textbook: Business Communication Essentials, Seventh edition by Courtland L. Bovée and
John V. Thill (Copyright 2019)
V. Catalog description of course
VII. Evaluation and grading (describe tests and assignments, role of class participation,
availability of extra-credit assignments, attendance policies, makeup policies)
VIII. Course withdrawal procedures
IX. Recommended study procedures
X. Assignment/test schedule
Early in the school term (perhaps in the first week), preview any major projects that students will be
required to undertake for the course, such as a résumé and application letter, a major report, or an oral
presentation. Then students can begin thinking about the type of job they want to apply for or a suitable
subject for their report or presentation.
CONDUCTING THE CLASS
A variety of methods and media are useful for teaching business communication. However, those that
give students an opportunity to develop and practice their skills are most desirable.
Lectures and Discussions
Although some of the material in this course lends itself to informal lecture, an exchange of information
and ideas among students and instructor is more likely to bring home the main
points—that communication takes place in many settings for many purposes, that there is seldom a “right”
answer in business communication, and that business communication depends on judgment and analysis.
Discussion is especially valuable when students are faced with a communication project. Beforehand,
they need to understand the ramifications of the assignment. For example, students need to understand
Course Planning Guide
that before they can write a direct request, they must formulate a main idea and analyze the audience and
purpose. The textbook abounds with examples of business messages, any of which you may use as a
focus of discussion. In addition, you may have collected some examples of your own. Ask students to
react to them, and help students understand the positive and negative points of any given example.
With inexperienced students in particular, part of your job is to give them insight into the realities of
Students who have done a particularly good job could be asked to read their documents to the others,
or their documents could be shown to the class with a projector. Ask students for critiques, but make sure
that negative evaluations are balanced with positive ones or with constructive suggestions for
improvement. Ultimately, it falls on you to point up the good features of individual students’ documents
and the weaknesses common to all.
Student Conferences
Class discussion is good for helping students understand general principles and solve some specific problems, but
one–on–one conferences are indispensable in the development of business communicators. In a conference,
students can ask for clarification of assignments and approaches. Moreover, you can help students over
barriers and encourage them to do their best.
Of course, when a student approaches you before or after class with a specific question, you have an
opportunity to realize some of these benefits. You might also schedule periodic conferences, perhaps during
class time when students are working on individual assignments or during your office hours. During the
Tools and Resources
Students should be encouraged to obtain a college edition of a reputable dictionary and a red or blue
pencil for revision. Access to a computer with word-processing software or to a typewriter is useful as
well.
A variety of tools and resources can help you, as well. For a list of additional available sources, you
may want to contact the Association for Business Communication:
Association for Business Communication
Communication Studies
Course Planning Guide
On the web: www.businesscommunication.org
Another good way to prepare yourself for teaching business communication is to scan such
publications as Fortune, Business Week, Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, Inc., and Savvy. From time to time,
Usually, however, you must promise that you will obscure all sensitive personal and competitive
information. With an opaque projector (for actual documents) or an overhead projector (for
transparencies), you can conduct an effective in-class demonstration using samples like these.
Some students may benefit from the insights of a guest speaker. Someone who has had to
communicate in business knows how important a skill it is and can convey that conviction to skeptics in
the class. Be careful, however, to select guest speakers who have relevant experience, and ask them to
GRADING AND EVALUATING STUDENTS
The way an instructor grades is a very personal matter, but you will generally find two schools of thought.
Some instructors start students at 100 percent and then deduct points from this total for such major sins as
missing assignments to such minor missteps as forgetting commas. Students of these instructors leave the
course with a sense of discipline and an awareness of the need to take care of matters large and small. Other
instructors start students at zero and award points for successful solutions to communication problems,
downplaying the mundane details. Students of these instructors leave with some appreciation for the creativity
Designing an Evaluation Program
Prepared written and oral messages provide a basis for evaluating student performance. Here are a few
additional questions to consider when deciding on a program of evaluation:
• Will you weigh all assignments the same, or will grades for some of the more complex projects carry
more weight in determining final grades?
Course Planning Guide
• Will you ask students to hand in the outlines and drafts that are preliminary steps for some
assignments? If so, on what basis will they be graded?
• Will you begin any class meetings with a quiz—a time-honored device for encouraging attendance and
keeping students’ reading current? What effect will quizzes have on final grades?
• Will you lecture most of the time, expanding on points from the text, or will you emphasize class
discussion? If you opt for discussion, how will class participation affect grades?
• Will you have both a midterm and a final examination? If so, will grades for both have the same
effect on final grades for the course?
When answering these questions, you will probably develop a weighted system for evaluating
students’ work overall. For example, you may decide that the elements will account for the following
percentages of the total grade:
Outlines and drafts (turned in on time) 10%
Short assignments 20%
Report assignment 20%
Evaluating Written Assignments
The most important part of this course is the practice it gives in preparing business messages, but the
value of that practice is immeasurably enhanced by constructive feedback. So grade students’ documents
against professional standards while providing suggestions about how to attain those standards. The more
notes you write on each assignment, the better. If necessary, edit or rewrite to show how a problem may
be solved; suggest a conference to discuss complicated problems. Be sure to praise the good points in
addition to criticizing the bad ones.
• Are the purpose and main idea of the document clear?
• Has the document been organized to be compatible with the purpose and audience?
• Is the “you” attitude—courtesy and consideration for the audience—consistently present?
• Has all the necessary information—and only the necessary information—been included?
• Are grammar, punctuation, mechanics, and vocabulary correct?
• Is the format attractive and appropriate?
• Was the document submitted on time, as expected in the business world?
Course Planning Guide
them to a letter grade (if desirable), and record them.
A less objective plan is much the same, except that you evaluate each document’s overall level of
achievement without assigning a specific number of points to each item. Although this second method is
faster than the first, it is less likely to yield consistent results when many documents are being graded.
Seriously consider giving students the opportunity to revise their original documents. In the process
of revision they learn and practice techniques for solving writing problems. In addition, they get the
chance to transform a “failure” into a “success.”